Getting to and from the Hoop Dee Doo

[MickeyChick]

I put this here because it's really about how to get to and from Ft. Wilderness than about the HDD.

We're staying at the POP and were only able to get reservations for the last HDD of the night. With two little ones, that means letting them rest, I hope, before going to Ft. Wilderness.

Do we really have to go to one of the parks first and then get a bus to the campsite? Won't the busses stop running before the show is over?

And it was recommended to get there an hour before the show? Huh?

Help!

[g0189a]

We've done Hoop Dee Doo a few times and the boat to fort wilderness seems best.

The bus through fort wilderness seems to take a really really long time. So I would recommend taking the boat from the magic kingdom to fort wilderness (with a stop at wilderness lodge if I remember right). The Hoop Dee Doo is then only a very short walk from the boat landing. Otherwise the bus rides seem like they take forever.

So maybe a rest earlier in the day and hit MK for a while before the show. Transportation to/from MK seems to be quite frequent too for most buses.

I don't know what time of year you are going so will the MK still be open when the show is done? If it's too late, you can always take the bus through fort wilderness and then take a connector to get you back to POP but that is a bit long with at least one transfer.

Or if you have a car, park in fort wilderness by the general store and ride the bus through fort wilderness to the hoop dee doo.

My kids love the Hoop Dee Doo every single time. Same show every time. But the chicken and ribs are pretty good.

Glenn

[Tygger7]

Based on my experiences, your best bet is to take a bus to the MK from Pop, then take the boat to Ft. Wilderness. You should be able to take the boat back to MK and then catch the bus back to Pop This is definitely the best scenario if at all possible.

Also, you really don't "need" to be there an hour early, but still plan to be there 1/2 hour before the show. You can do a little sightseeing & shopping if you need to entertain the kids. :D

[stitchcousin]

I took the bus there and vowed never to do that again:(. If I remember correctly, there are two buses (one that takes you to FW and then you need to get on another bus that actually goes thru FW and stops at EVERY "path" you cross to let people in before getting to the HDD (It must have taken us 30 minutes just because of all the stops we made. I think it would have taken us less time to walk!!). It felt like I was getting on a connecting flight!! I would definitely go on the boat instead. The people getting off the boat looked more relaxed than I did!

[McGoofy]

We've only been to Hoop Dee Doo one time, but it was the very same thing as you...staying at Pop Century and trying to get to the 9pm show. I remember we gave ourselves PLENTY of time--like 2 hours. It took quite a while just to get to MK I remember. You have to allow lots of time for the bus. Sometimes it may just be 20 minutes, but sometimes it can be 40 minutes. You never know, so just plan for the worse so that you are not late. After reaching MK, we took the boat to Fort Wilderness. That's a nice ride and just something different to do from taking the bus. The bus ride ended up being a little shorter than we expected, so when on the boat from the MK, we stopped off at Wilderness Lodge and walked around to see what was there for a little bit. We then went back to the dock to catch the boat the rest of the way to Ft. Wilderness. The show was very good. My DS (6yo at the time) even got called on stage during the show and got to be part of the show for the night. The food was delicious too. After the show, there were buses lined up at FWL to take us back to where we needed to go. It's been a few years, but I was thinking that we caught a bus directly to Pop Century. I don't know why I am not sure about that part--most likely because it was all you can drink alcohol included. However, for some reason, I am really thinking that there was a bus directly to Pop Century. I think this is the bus I rode one time that stopped at a couple of different resorts to drop people off. I hope I am not confusing this with something else that I did one time. Someone may come along and agree with me to confirm my thoughts or tell me that I'm crazy!;)

[diz_girl]

Although taking the boat from MK to FW is the best way to go, you may not be able to reverse your route to get back to POP, since the show will end quite late and the boat back to the MK may stop running, as may the bus from the MK back to POP. I don't know what the time of year or day of the week when you have your HDD reservations, so the MK may close as early as 8 or 9 and the buses and boats may stop running to/from MK before the HDD is over.

If you are going sometime before June, Intercot has posted park schedules through July and the Pirate & Princess party schedule through early June. This can help you figure out if the boat to/from the MK will still be running when the HDD ends. This should be able to help you, since you having your reservations shows that you're going sometime before mid-July.

If the boats have stopped running and if what McGoofy wrote about being able to take a bus from the HDD back to POP is still happening then that's great. However, you'll probably have to find another way back to your resort. If the MK closed early (and it's not a special event night (Pirate & Princess, MNSSHP or MVMCP), then your best bet would be to take the internal FW bus (which stops running at 2am) back to the main bus stop at the General Store, then take a bus from FW to DTD and then another bus from DTD back to POP. Yes, it sounds like a pain, like what stitchcousin wrote. Also, you may want to take your own car to the General Store at FW if you drove or rented, and then take the internal bus through FW, or you can also take a taxi to the General Store if you don't mind spending an extra $20 (give or take a few dollars).

Good luck!

[g0189a]

For the return trip, isn't there a boat to Downtown Disney from Fort Wilderness? It may seem like a long way around but it might be the most direct bus back to POP at that time of night.

[shellyc]

You can get a bus direct to Pop from Fort Wilderness after the late show. Disney lines up the busses and you just tell the CM what resort you want and he will direct you to the correct bus. You catch the bus at the depot close to Pioneer Hall bus stop.

[DizneyRox]

Based on my experiences, your best bet is to take a bus to the MK from Pop, then take the boat to Ft. Wilderness. You should be able to take the boat back to MK and then catch the bus back to Pop This is definitely the best scenario if at all possible.
The boat back to MK after the show isn't an option. The latest I've seen that boat run is 10pm.


Also, you really don't "need" to be there an hour early, but still plan to be there 1/2 hour before the show. You can do a little sightseeing & shopping if you need to entertain the kids. :D
Correct. The 1 hour is there because they want you to take pictures before the show so they can sell them to you later. Entirely not necessary IMHO. I get there about 15 minutes before the doors open. Everyone else is already checked in and you don't need to wait in a huge line to check-in. You don't want to be too late though, you don't want to mis ay of the show.


For the return trip, isn't there a boat to Downtown Disney from Fort Wilderness? It may seem like a long way around but it might be the most direct bus back to POP at that time of night.
There is no boat to DTD either. The waterways are not connected. The best/only option is really the busses waiting outside Pioneer Hall. I guess if you wanted to you could get an internal bus to the front, then go to DTD, and then Pop. That I would use as your last resort! Don't meander around after the show for too long. Even a quick bathroom break and the busses to the various resorts may leave, leaving taking a bus to DTD as your only way home.

[MickeyChick]

All this is happening two weeks from now. Our HDD reservation is for January 26th. MK closes at SEVEN pm that night... crazy early.

So I'm guessing we may go from MK directly to Ft. Wilderness though that may get us there way too early. This is so darned confusing. It sounds like the path of least resistance is to hire a taxi because all that transferring and stuff after 11 with preschoolers will likely be a nightmare.

[McGoofy]

You can get a bus direct to Pop from Fort Wilderness after the late show. Disney lines up the busses and you just tell the CM what resort you want and he will direct you to the correct bus. You catch the bus at the depot close to Pioneer Hall bus stop.

Thank you ShellyC!! I am 100% positive that this is what we did. We were at the 9pm show, and I remember a bunch of buses lined up after we came out of the show. I thought we went directly to Pop, but I didn't want to give the wrong info out if we didn't. Thank you for helping me know that I'm not crazy!:mickey:

[Hull-onian]

We are going to the HDDR too, for the first time. Should we take the bus back over to All Star Spts or should we catch the boat? We are going to the earlier show, 7:00 p.m. :confused:

[MickeyChick]

Thanks everyone!

[Mackflava99]

Actually- if you can get to the Wilderness lodge- its actually a very easy and beautiful walk to the Hoop Dee doo. You will see deer and other animals,
No waiting for the bus- which is awful.

We took the bus from the WL and it took forever as we had to go to 35 different campsites before we got there. AND then its a pretty long walk from the bus stop to the review.

We found that going to WL and either taking the boat- or walking is MUCH faster and less of a hassle- Or walk there and boat back.

[DizneyRox]

Actually- if you can get to the Wilderness lodge- its actually a very easy and beautiful walk to the Hoop Dee doo. You will see deer and other animals,
No waiting for the bus- which is awful.

...

We found that going to WL and either taking the boat- or walking is MUCH faster and less of a hassle- Or walk there and boat back.
Yes, there is a walking trail. However, for the 9:30 show I can't recommend using it. It could be very dangerous as you can't see the trail, or more importantly, what's right off the trail. Remember, there are gators all over Florida, and Disney isn't an exception.